The University of Maine’s Lord Hall Gallery presents ORBITS, an exhibition featuring the work of three Maine-based artists who are invested in material re-use and sustainability: Tom Jessen, Isabelle Maschal O’Donnell, and Ian Trask from February 3 – March 14, 2025. A reception will be held on February 7, 2025 from 5-7pm. During the reception, six Maine-based poets will read ekphrastic poems which they wrote about the artwork in ORBITS. The reading will take place at 6pm. Participating poets include Matt Bernier, Monique Bouchard, Sylvia Godreaux, Annaliese Jakimides, Carl Little, and Leslie Moore. All events are free and the public is warmly welcomed.
The artists in ORBITS work with the excess waste that circulates around us every day including paper, textiles, and plastics. As these materials pass through their hands, they are transformed into artwork and given new life. The playful colors and forms used by Jessen, O’Donnel, and Trask function as a surprising counterpoint to the urgency of the issues they explore such as sustainability, waste, and consumerism. ORBITS brings awareness to material culture and our relationship to the things around us.
Jessen’s work begins with collection. He gathers cast away food packaging and cuts it into small strips, which are sorted by color. The paper strips are reconfigured into kaleidoscopic surfaces reminiscent of woven fabrics. O’Donnell gathers textile waste and manipulates it into quilt-like surfaces inspired by her surrounding in Maine. Her work stretches our notions of painting and the usefulness of materials. Trask bundles and wraps an assortment of materials bound for the landfill. The orbs he creates are suspended and clustered into new forms that belie their humble origins.
Questions can be directed to: diana.baumbach@maine.edu Additional information about the artists is available on their websites: tomjessen.com, isabelleodonnell.
